Victor of the 74th Hunger Games, Madge Undersee!
by MissBakesMissStakes
Summary: What if Madge volunteered for the 74th Hunger Games instead of Katniss? Everyone will eventually be slightly OOC. Implied Haymitch/Maysilee and some Katniss/Madge and possibly Katniss/Peeta later. -If anyone is interested in finishing this story, please message me! I have a main idea if you'd like it. I just don't have the muse left. :/
1. Chapter 1

"Primrose Everdeen", Effie Trinket spoke aloud. There was absolute silence. No, not Prim. How could her name get drawn? She only had one entry, Katniss made sure of that. She starts walking toward the stage, shaking all the way. Everything feels wrong, even my breathing feels alien. Is this even real? I saw Katniss struggling to get to her, but the crowd wasn't cooperating and Prim stepped on stage. Gale was holding back Katniss, who was completely mute and wouldn't stop thrashing. Prim was still shaking as Effie asked for any volunteers. Katniss was screaming incoherently and ripping at Gale. Would he not let her volunteer? He has his hand over her mouth and she's biting him. I know what I have to do. I slowly raise my hand as my breakfast creeps up my throat. "I volunteer", I say calmly. The entire district is staring and Katniss has slipped into a trance in Gale's arms. I ascend the stairs and smile at Prim, who immediately starts to protest. She's proud, like her sister, and she won't let me die for her. "It would be my honor to compete in the Games," is all I can manage. Effie shoos Prim off stage and the Peacekeepers carry her away. "I'll bet you're Primrose's sister!"

"No, I'm Madge Undersee. I'm the Mayor's daughter." It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, everyone knows I'm the mayor's daughter. For the first time, I look and see my father, he has tears in his eyes and is trying his hardest not to sob. Haymitch drunkenly grabs me and starts shouting something about me being bravest girl he knew. My mother faints. Mrs. Everdeen runs to her to make sure she gets medical treatment. While everyone is staring at my mother, Haymitch falls off the stage. I've offered myself up for slaughter. I haven't even officially been named a tribute and already my world is falling apart.

The peacekeepers take a moment to haul off my mother and Haymitch, Mrs. Everdeen close behind. I try to locate Katniss, but I can't see her in the crowd. Maybe they took her too? Effie is going to pull out the name of the male tribute when I see her. She's clinging to Prim with tears streaming down her cheeks. I know exactly what she's thinking. It should be her. She won't speak to Gale for a while for that stunt. Maybe never again. Why wouldn't Gale let her volunteer? Surly he knew that Prim was her whole world. I wonder if her name will be pulled again. What if it's pulled when Katniss is too old for the games? Who will save her then?

I am so lost in thought that I barely hear the name of the male tribute. "Peeta Mellark". Peeta is clearly shocked. I see him amble to the stage. He was obviously not expecting this. Two merchant kids in the games, this hasn't happened in our district since the first quell. I don't want to fight it out with Peeta Mellark; I don't want to fight it out with anyone. Honestly, I had expected this day to come sooner, but maybe I had a protection that came with being the mayor's daughter. Thoughts of the aunt I never got to meet swarmed me. I had just chosen my fate instead of it being chosen for me. Letting Prim be slaughtered would just deny the inevitable. I was always going into the arena, it was just a question of when and who it'd be with. Peeta would be a good ally. Volunteers were requested. None came forward at first, but then a very guilt ridden Gale Hawthorne stepped forward. His only sentence was "We deserve a chance at winner this year."

The time to say goodbyes came. My first visitors are my parents (mother looked slightly better than when she had fainted earlier). They cried and spoke of how much they love me and to go down fighting. How reassuring. Mr. Mellark came with kind words and cookies. Prim came after. She was sobbing hysterically. "Madge! Madge! Thank you. You shouldn't have, it was my name drawn. But oh thank you! Do well."

"Of course, Prim. I couldn't let you and Katniss be separated now could I?"

"No." Prim said through sobs. She started to sob on my neck. The peacekeepers called her away and she left with another "thank you".

The next visitor was a seam girl. I was afraid she wouldn't come. Katniss threw herself at me. I felt warmth flowing through every part of her body. "Madge, I'm so sorry. I tried to volunteer, but Gale… Gale wouldn't let me."

"Honestly Katniss, that doesn't surprise me a bit. I saw it all you know."

"Yes, but she wasn't your sister. She wasn't yours to save. I can never repay you. I can't give you for anything. Prim means…"

"I know exactly what Prim means to you. You wouldn't be able to function without her. I just couldn't let that happen."

"Time's up!" shouted the peacekeeper.

"Good luck Madge. Promise you'll try?"

My response to this was to kiss her on the cheek. I knew I wasn't making it out alive. A tear streamed down her cheek and she kissed me back with full force on the mouth. She pulled away and wiped her eyes, and then the peacekeepers pulled her away. As they were escorting to the door, I saw Gale sprint down the hall. He yelled for Katniss, but she just watched in horror. Katniss isn't the type to forgive especially when someone got in between her and Prim. Who cares if he volunteered for Peeta to protect her? Prim should've never had the chance to step in the arena. He jumped out the nearest window and took off. He was heading for the woods. He would try to make it outside the district. Everyone ran out of the building; however peacekeepers grabbed me to keep me from running off as well. I hadn't planned to run off, but I could see everything now. They couldn't catch him. His siblings looked shocked and then followed in his wake.

They dragged me inside the train and locked compartment from the outside. I couldn't cry. It was all too overwhelming. The only thing I could do was stare. After a while, I couldn't stare at the walls anymore and searched desperately for something else. My eyes settle on my pin. My mockingjay pin, or rather my aunt's pin. Mockingjays were a symbol of rebellion. Gale was certainly rebelling, but at what cost? Who would go in his place? Any of his family that was caught would be killed or beaten to a pulp. I hated him. Why was he doing this? Did he have a plan all along?

Haymitch stumbling toward my compartment as the guard's unlocked it. "So brave, Sweetheart." The drunk sat down next to me, then proceeded to stroke my hair. "You were so brave, just like before with the birds." What the hell is he talking about? He then scoots even closer to me. "I tried to stop them from getting you. But I just couldn't." He starts to take off his shirt. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'll save you this time." He got a nasty look in his eye, then proceeded to vomit all over his chest and wiped it up with his shirt. He stood up to leave. "Haymitch?"

"Yessss?"

"I'm not Maysilee. I'm Madge, her niece."

He looked toward the sky. "Sorry Maysilee. I'll try to save her. Let's hope she's not as stubborn as you."

The train started moving and Haymitch stumbled out. Great, Haymitch thinks I'm my dead aunt. Too many thoughts invade my brain and I am too exhausted to do anything but sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss' POV:

Now that my two friends were gone- sent to their deaths, I spent every moment I could with Prim. I realized how lucky I was to have her and how Madge was going to die for my little sister. _That should be me, heading to my doom, not Madge. _Soon they would be showing the reapings from the other districts on tv and I would be forced to watch. It would also be when I found out who would be our male tribute. They had been keeping us uninformed, like throwing a blanket over a frightened animal. The less you see, the more you relax. Whoever they picked was on the train, so anyone left in the district was safe. Had they caught Gale or did they take Peeta? A morbid laugh came to mind, which one would I pick? As if it would ever come down to that.

I took a stroll through the district. I knew I wouldn't see Gale, he was either on the train or out in the woods with his family. Maybe someone could tell me what was going on. That's when I saw him, the boy that saved my life with the burnt bread. He wasn't going into the arena. I felt a rush of relief and then a pang of guilt because that meant Gale and Madge would have to fight to the death. I spoke my first words to him, just a simple hello. He stared, his blue eyes set on my grey. "I never really thanked you for saving my life… I realized that when your name was pulled. It should have been us you know."

"Yes, it should have been us. Why did Gale volunteer?..."

There was another question hanging in the air, why did you not volunteer for Prim? She's your sister. You're supposed to protect her, not that poor merchant girl. I feel hate brewing inside of me. I hate everyone at this moment. I hate Peeta for asking yet not asking, I hate Gale for not letting me volunteer, I hate Madge for volunteering instead of me, and mostly I hate the Capitol for these hideous games.

"How should I know? I'm not his keeper." The words shot out of my mouth like venom.

He spoke in a soft tone. "I know you tried to volunteer. Everyone saw Gale hold you back. No one blames you. The part I don't get is why he volunteered for me. Why did he volunteer for me and then run for his life?"

My words came out slowly, "He asked me to run away with him before the reaping and I told him that I wouldn't because we have responsibilities. He was willing to sacrifice Prim so I could run away with him. He must have felt guilty and volunteered then made a rash move in fear." My bones filled with rage. The truth comes out of my own mouth, he wanted to sacrifice my little sister so he could run away with me and play house. I was truly sickened.

Peeta looked at me and said something I thought I'd never hear anyone say. "If you need someone to help you now that Gale is… gone, I'm here."

"I don't need your help." It came out bitter. More bitter than I wanted. I saw hurt in his eyes. I decided that I would stop the bridge from burning before I had no one left I liked in district 12, except Prim. "But Prim could use help with her goat."

"She does make fantastic cheese. I will be over tomorrow. I'd like to start helping her before the parade and the games get going."

"Okay." I say flatly and walked away. Why am I so terrible with people? And he was a nice person. If I wasn't careful, he'd root his way inside me. I'd guessed that he already was in my heart, deep down and buried. You never forget the face of the person that was your last hope. Peeta Mellark was a face I could never forget and my latest savior: Madge Undersee's would now be burned forever in my mind.

I ran back to my house in the seam so I wouldn't be late for the mandatory screening of the reapings. Districts 1, 2, and 4 have the usual heavy-set lethal looking volunteers. The only real others that stand out are a fox-faced girl from district 5 and finally a large, male tribute from district 11 standing next to a small girl about Prim's size and demeanor. Both of the tributes from 11 had beautiful brown skin. Then I held my breath for district 12. They showed Madge volunteering for Prim and on the side of the frame I was struggling. I realize for the first time that I bit Gale and kicked him numerous times. Then, something strange happens. I don't see them call Peeta's name. They only show Effie. There is no shot of the crowd. They must have re-filmed it, I think. Effie calls out a name in her silly Capitol accent.

"Rory Hawthorne!"


	3. Chapter 3

Madge:

Effie awoke me for the reapings. I can't honestly say that I watched them, since I was still in a state of shock. I was going to fight to the death in a few days; I needed this time to compose myself. I'd have plenty of time to scope out my competition later. Not to mention that I was going to have to fight against Gale Hawthorne's little brother. But I have to win. I have to win so I can get home to my family, Prim, and Katniss. Winning will mean everything to me. Katniss will never have to worry about going hungry again and maybe people will stop hating me because of who my dad is. After all, I've proved that I'm braver than a seam boy and his cowardice has put his family in grave danger. Deep down, I don't know much about Gale, but I do know that if he could have seen the future, he never would have fled from the Justice Building. His family always came first.

Gale would've fared well in these games. I wouldn't have stood a chance against him. The only thing worse than going into the arena with Gale would be forced to fight with Katniss. Thank the goddesses that they made a boy and a girl from each district compete and it was never two women fighting to the death.

Training was three days of hell. You sat by the little girl from district 11 everyday because no one wanted anything to do with you. You were too short, skinny, and didn't have any real weapon training, so the career pack was out. Hawthorne avoided you like the plague, as did the rest of the tributes. They act like I'm contagious. That's when it hit me. The tributes knew why I volunteered, the rumors were rampant. I volunteered because I was in love with a woman. The only one that wasn't bothered by this (or hadn't figured it out yet) was little Rue. She told me about district 11. They have arranged marriages and have to have at least 3 children per couple, no matter their income. Winning was the only way either her or her district partner could escape poverty and misery. Rue didn't want to get married nor have children. She just wanted to become a singer. I told her that my friend at home had the most beautiful voice in the world. Rue asked me if it was the little girl I volunteered for. I told her that she was a fantastic healer, but her sister was the one that the birds would stop and listen to. We were allies before we ever reached the interview.

I managed a 5 in the score session. I wasn't skilled at one thing; I could do several things decently. Being mediocre at throwing knives, camouflage, and weightlifting didn't impress them. I was crushed at the interview. Caesar kept asking me about Prim and I had to hold back tears. He asked me if there was a lucky man in my life and I told him there wasn't. I dreaded that he'd ask if I fancied anyone. Thankfully, he moved onto another question about my pin. I told him the story of my aunt and neglected to mention that she died in the same games that Haymitch won. I didn't want their pity or them thinking that Haymitch was going to save me. I gave off an aura of strength and said that I was going to win for my aunt and Prim.

My designer saw me off on the day of the launch. He had made my outfit of diamonds in the opening ceremonies. The rock shone in my eyes. The Capitol citizens had said that I was the only diamond they ever saw come out of the coal district. They said I shone physically and mentally. My nickname was "the diamond in the rough". As I got in the tube, I looked back at him as he mouthed "I'm still betting on you". Cinna was the only one I could talk to. He knew I loved Katniss and he gave me a braid like hers for the arena to remember who I was fighting for. It was an exact match except my blonde hair looked like a golden rope while hers looked like an onyx necklace.

The platform was rising, and I looked out at the arena. The cornucopia was brimming with sleeping bags, food, medicine, water containers, and fire starters. There was a water container and backpack within my reach. I would make a dash for them and then get out of there. I made eye contact with Rue and she knew to do the same. We'd team up immediately. I knew that we'd live longer if we stuck together.

The gong sounded and the blood bath began.


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss' POV:

Luckily for mine and Madge's family District 12 is too poor to have a giant tv in the town square like I've glimpsed in the reapings of other, more wealthy districts. The Undersee's get to mourn in peace and no one has to watch poor Prim sob. We must watch the Blood bath, which could last a while depending on the arena and how far the tributes go into the Cornucopia for supplies. Mother, Prim, and I sit huddled around our little black and white tv as they show the tributes coming up in their tubes for launch. The Cornucopia has a lake on one side and a forest on the other. The tributes will rise in a circle around the cornucopia. I see Madge ascend along with Rory and the others they will have to kill.

I felt dread pool in my stomach; in less than seconds, Madge could be brutally murdered. The gong sounds and my eyes follow the girl with the Mockingjay pin. She sprints to the forest after grabbing a sack from the ground. Rue, the little girl from 11, is right behind her. Rue is fast, but she grabbed a pack closer to the horn of plenty. Madge turns to make sure Rue is still coming and slows her pace so the child can catch up. I want to scream at her to get out of there and to tell her that I'm desperate for her to make it back alive. Rue joins her in seconds, which is just long enough for the girl from district 2 to throw a knife right at Madge's back. Her reflexes must be lightening fast, because the blade lodges itself in her pack at the last second. I let out a gasp. She and Rue sped into the trees and out of the camera's sight. For now, they have managed to escape death. They should be safe for the rest of the day thanks to all the action going on right now.

The girl from district 7 gets disemboweled by the district 2 tribute and his sword. He now has his sights set on Rory. We watched, horrified as Rory is decapitated right before our eyes as Cato laughs. My best friend's brother killed on national television while the girl he had always tormented leaves the killing spree unscathed. I wonder how much he knows about Rory? If he hasn't seen anyone but his family, he might not even know he was sent to the games. Tears stream down my face like a river. I am utterly overwhelmed by this year's reaping and watching Rory Hawthorne meet the death normally only reserved for half-dead chickens in our district. Prim is sobbing as well and we hold each other. We want to stop watching, but we are probably being watched ourselves. They have ways of knowing if you didn't watch the games. It didn't matter if you had the tv on and were asleep on the couch, like a man from the seam a couple of years ago. They knew. The Capitol made a spectacle of him and fried him on a special mandatory report for the whole country to see.

Thankfully, there isn't much more to watch. The next time the tv will work will be 10pm tonight when we will get a recap of what happened in the Games today and the faces of the dead will flash in the sky. Rory's face will light up the sky. I start to weep again while Mother has gone in the other room to escape from this all and Prim will be clinging to Buttercup in a corner like she does when she's upset.

I almost jump out of my skin when I hear a knock at the door. I realize it's been a half hour since the tv shut off and I rush to the door. I open it, not knowing who to expect because the only people that ever come to our house are members of the Hawthorne clan. There is a golden haired boy looking down at me like I'm a wounded animal. His eyes overflow with empathy. He asks if he can come in. I'm figuring since he has been helping Prim with Lady and making her laugh, I can't be as cold to him as I want to be.

I find myself saying that I would go get Prim. I leave him in the threshold, hoping he feels as uncomfortable and awkward as I do. I yell for Prim and tell her that Peeta is here. She bounces up like a bunny and runs to give him a big hug. She starts sobbing into his shirt, and he holds her. He has even brought her cookies to make her feel a little better. The cat hisses at me like he knows I'm the one that let this stranger in, the stranger that is stealing all of her attention from him. She's almost impossible to understand, but I hear her muffled cry. The words make my blood run cold: That should've been me.

Peeta whispers something in her ear and she calms down a little. She then says that she's going to make a memorial for him. I know it won't be much, but it'll make us all feel better. She grabs the cat and runs off into the next room, leaving us alone again. He says he's terribly sorry about Rory and even though this happened, Madge is still alive. He has a slight grin on his face when he says, "Oh and I hear she has a knife and a wonderful ally."

Against my better judgment, I almost smirk. He must realize that I'm certainly not my sister, so I won't fling my arms around him. He's also smart enough to know that after watching your neighbor literally lose his head, you need someone. Hell, maybe he even needed someone. He wrapped his arms around me. I didn't start crying like before, but a tear slid down my cheek. We stood there for a moment and the tear remained friendless until I heard him whisper that he'd always owe his life to Gale and Rory. If not for them, he might be dead. I feel anger boiling in me. It overflows just as I pull away from him. "Peeta, you know as well as I do that you would NOT be dead by now. You're strong! The careers would have taken you in without a second thought!" Then I breathe, "You could've won."

He counters with the ever productive argument of my bow and arrow skills. I reply that there are NEVER bow and arrows in the arena. No one in the Capitol wants to watch Careers pick off weaklings from up in a tree. It's boring to them. We could have argued longer, but he tells me that he has to go back to the bakery and he'll be back at 10. I try to protest, but he replies that if the larger districts can watch on a large screen in the square, he can certainly watch in a different location other than his house. That is, as long as he's actually watching.

When Peeta leaves, it makes me wonder. Could I have won? What would Peeta and I do if we were in the arena together? Is Rue still alive? For the first time I think about Madge running to the forest. Wait, was she wearing my standard braid? What's going to happen to her? Would I have volunteered for her at the reaping?


End file.
